Fulfilling a pledge made two years ago when they bought Hunter's Hill Marina in Cortez (The Islander, April 4, 2003), Peter and Eva Thurell have submitted plans to build 39 single-family homes on the 12.5 acre site at 12504 Cortez Road that will be done in keeping with the architectural style of Cortez.

In addition to single-family homes, each with a minimum lot size of 6,000 square feet, the site plan calls for seven townhouse units above a 7,000 square foot commercial building. Residents will also have use of a boat slip and lift. The site plan maintains that traffic patterns along Cortez Road will not be affected by the residences.

Hunter's Hill Marina, which is also owned by the Thurells, is located adjacent to the project.

The Thurells submitted a preliminary site plan to Manatee County two weeks ago. If approved, the project will be built by Whitehead Construction of Cortez.

Originally from Sweden, the Thurells have lived in Cortez part-time for the past 20 years. Their children and grandchildren are full-time residents.

"This village gets in your blood," said Peter in 2003. "We and our family love it here."

The planned development is on the north side of Cortez Road.

The Thurells are presently in Sweden and unavailable for comment about the project.

Get breaking news

Sign up to receive breaking news alerts
via e-mail. We'll send you a notice when the news and classifieds
appear online every week, before the print edition hits the streets.